A brand new regional Center for Iyengar Yoga Studies. Vibrant, dynamic Iyengar Yoga classes for all levels and abilities.
Strengthen your body, clarify your mind, and open your heart to transformational learning. Learn how to take charge of your own practice and gain deep and abiding understanding of your body and spirit.

Sometimes I will hear my students say, “I practice with
Peggy.” Using the term broadly to describe the doing of asanas in any context,
this makes sense. However, I actually use the word “practice” differently, to
distinguish it from “study.”

To me, practice means personal practice. That is, what I do
on my own, away from my teachers. BKS Iyengar says we are not really doing yoga
until we’re doing it on our own.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my teachers and mentors and value
them tremendously. One of the reasons I moved from Milwaukee to Detroit in 2013
was to have access to a weekly senior teacher, the illustrious Laurie Blakeney of Ann Arbor. But no teacher, no matter how good, whether Laurie, my mentor Lois Steinberg, or Guruji BKS Iyengar himself, can replace my personal
practice.

Why? My personal practice is where I tend to my particular
needs that day. I don’t have to take anyone else’s needs or agenda into
consideration. If I’m premenstrual and have low back pain, I can address this.
If I’m cold and stiff, I can act accordingly. If I’ve had a poor night’s sleep
or I’m feeling agitated, I can practice to alleviate these conditions.

Home or personal practice is where I sensitize myself and
listen closely to my body and mind. Sometimes I have a plan or goal in mind as
I approach my mat. I might be working on a syllabus for my next assessment,
preparing for a class or workshop, or thinking about a student with an injury
or ailment. But most times I ask myself what I am needing, and one pose leads to another as the practice unfolds.

Home practice is both artistry and discipline. As an artist,
I take full creative responsibility for my sequence and how I execute those
asanas. As a disciplinarian, I go through my sequence and create rigor of mind
and attention myself without relying on anyone else. I have to “bring it” each
and every time.

Does this mean my personal practice is always as good or
better than a class I attend? Not necessarily. I go to class not to practice,
but to study. When I study, I’m gaining
insights and ideas to bring back to my practice. I get feedback, corrections,
adjustments, and refinements.My
study informs my personal practice.

Some schools of yoga encourage daily class. But in the
Iyengar tradition, we encourage daily practice, and classes to supplement
practice, maybe 1-3 times a week. The personal practice should be at the heart
of yoga, not reliance on a teacher. When I go for month-long intensive study at
the Iyengar Institute in Pune, India, we have the privilege of attending 6
classes/week. However, class does not replace practice, which we do daily in
the hall each morning for 2-3 hours, alongside Guruji himself, who at 95 years
old, still sets the standard for a sustained, intense, conscious, creative,
sensitive personal practice.

Yes, please come and study with me. I have so much I want to
share with my students. But also practice on your own! This will empower you
like no teacher can.

To encourage personal practice, IYD hosts open practice
sessions for members. Join me at any of these times, use our props and rope
wall, get your asana moving! We will practice side by side, doing our own
sequences without instruction.